Beverage servers are a common commodity of the restaurant industry as well as being widely found in the home, the work place and institutional settings, such as hospitals. Typically, beverage servers include a pitcher for containing a beverage and a cap that is attached thereto in some manner and that is removable to allow filling of the pitcher. At times they may be so constructed as to allow pouring of the liquid through the cap and from the pitcher. Often the pitcher will have a double walled construction that includes an insulating material to keep the contained beverage hot or cold as desired.
One problem with many prior art beverage servers is that beverages can be easily spilled from them. Thus, if a beverage server is upset, the cap can open and allow the beverage to spill out. This spillage wastes not only the beverage but can also directly cause injuries if a hot beverage is spilled onto a person. Indirect injuries may occur to people due to their attempts at avoiding the spilling beverage or later slipping and falling if the beverage should spill onto the floor. In either case, the prepared food merchandiser faces potential economic losses whenever a spill occurs due to payment of damages for any injuries as well as the loss of business because of unhappy customers. The dangers related to an unsealed server and spills therefrom in the restaurant industry are also applicable to their use in the home, the work place, or the institutional setting. While devices that provide a sealed container are presently being sold, such as beverage servers having a screw-on cap, they are often difficult for certain segments of the population to use, such as the elderly or individuals who have a loss of hand flexibility or strength and are therefore not acceptable for use generally. Additionally, because of the time involved in sealing and unsealing the caps, they are not practical or economical to use in a busy environment such as a restaurant where it is more desirable to have waiters dispensing prompt service to the waiting customer than spending time sealing and unsealing server caps. Another problem with these types of caps is that they are usually unable to be readily disassembled for cleaning and then reassembled quickly for use. Cleaning of these prior art caps is oftentimes difficult, thereby compromising the sanitation of the beverage server and creating the potential for unsightly filth or grime to accumulate within the view of the customer or other beverage recipient. Finally, known prior art caps require the cap to be removed prior to filling the pitcher, which can result in further time delays for busy waiters and which can also lead to spills.
It would be desirable, therefore, to have a beverage server having a cap capable of sealing onto the pitcher to prevent accidental spills that is simple to use, that requires a minimum of hand strength and flexibility, a minimum of time to use, that is readily disassembled and reassembled for improved cleaning and increased sanitation, and/or that would enable the user of the beverage server to fill the same without removal of the cap therefrom.